Overweight and in a hurry

Jill wrote:

I am 18 and weigh about 230 pounds. I have tried all kinds of diets but they haven't worked. I am looking for a det that will help me lose weight fast. Does anyone know of the most effective and safe way to lose weight fast?

Dear Jill

Before you even think about diet, you need to think about your health, and your lifestyle.

Your health, because different diets will be safe for different people, and the speed of loss you want needs to be checked out for you.

And don't forget the psychological side; you gained that weight over a period, and there are issues surrounding your weight, how long you've had it, and your body image. A "Quick Fix" will not be quick - or permanent - unless and until you've worked through your own history and your current motivation.

No point in doing the work if you backtrack in three months!

Lifestyle issues are daunting; you'll need to increase your activity levels, and change most of the things you take for granted.

Done all that? Great!

Then the easy bit is the diet! If it's safe for you (and only if) the atkins is one of the most researched of all diets - they've been trying to rubbish it for years, and so far the consensus of independent thought seems to be that provided you stick to the rules and keep in touch with whatever checks your doctor has advised, it does the first loss better than most others.

But I don't know you - and anything your doctor says that contradicts this, goes.

Good Luck!